The Warlock's Flame
by NicosWriting 87
Summary: A week after the death of Will, Arthur says a few things he shouldn't had that infuriates the gods of Olympus. As a test they decided to test the prince's true level of tolerance if he fails they will burn to the ground if he passes the kingdom will not only gain a new champion but eternal protection from Olympus. Non-Canon AU Slight crossover Merlin with PJO/HOO plz r&r
1. Chapter 1

**[My come back story hopefully is here hopefully this story reignites my passion for PJO/HOO and Merlin]**

 **The Warlock's Fire**

 **(Warning this story is a cross of the Merlin and Percy Jackson universe)**

Chapter One: 

(This chapter takes place a week after the death of Will; Merlin's childhood friend

in addition Lancelot, Gwaine, and Percival are all ready knights it'll make the story a bit easier to tell)

This story begins on a stormy evening in the kingdom of Camelot where the crown prince Arthur Pendragon was currently berating his loyal but loveable manservant Merlin for his unparalleled string of clumsiness that had resulted in the young warlock in disguise being sent to the stocks thrice in twenty-four hours and as if that wasn't enough poor Merlin would get a second berating once got home to Gaius for being late.

Arthur was a tall, burly young man about sixteen years in age, with radiant blonde hair, he currently was dressed in his chain-mail from his training session outside several hours prior while his manservant; Merlin was a tall, lanky and slender youth looking to be about sixteen or seventeen and he was a warlock in hiding as the use of magic was banned upon the penalty of death if used.

As mentioned before the prince was reprimanding his manservant for his lack of attentiveness

"I SWEAR YOU ARE THE DEFINITION OF USELESS AND INCOMPITENT" Arthur roared mercilessly as young Merlin flinched at the tone, his head bowed in shame his startling blue eyes trained on a smudge of horridly worn out boots.

Merlin was startled out of his musing by his master's sudden addressing of him.

"WELL MERLIN, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING THE SAY FOR YOURSELF!"

The young warlock was silent for a few more moments before mumbling something unintelligible.

"What was that?!" Arthur inquired his voice like a a very sharp knife.

"I said I'm sorry my lord...Will's...p-passing has somewhat destabilized me slightly; I'm still not completely over it yet" was the warlock's reply his deep tones clouded with unrestricted pain and grief.

The crown prince sputtered, normally that response would have defused Arthur's anger entirely but his rage was beyond thought at the moment and coupled with his father's beliefs on magic drilled into him since he could talk caused a totally different reaction.

The prince's voice became calm but held all of the destructive force of a magically amplified ballista bolt.

"Listen to me very carefully Merlin...No man is worth your tears, especially a filthy sorcerer; he may have been good at the time but his magic would've corrupted him eventually so do yourself and me a favor and GET. OVER. IT!" he bellowed the last part to drive his point home.

Merlin's breath turned harsh as tears clouded his vision he looked up and looked straight into his prince's eyes so he could see the damaged that had just been done before dashing out of the room before his resolve crumbled completely.

Arthur on the other hand was stunned at the look of pure devastation and anguish that was present on his manservant's face before he ran from room but shrugged it off for now still far too annoyed and tired to think on it he would contemplate it in the morning.

Merlin had raced through the corridor tears steaming down his face like miniature rivers.

Little did Arthur or Merlin know Sir Leon had been passing by when he heard his prince's incessant yelling but what he couldn't believe was what Arthur had actually though heavily believed in Uther's teachings too had said to the poor servant,who had lost his best friend from the sounds of it only a week ago and when he saw Merlin fly out of Arthur's chambers and raced by him with tears running down his face it confirmed his suspicion Prince Arthur had gone too far.

Sir Leon was furious, the incorrigible manservant had grown on the knights and he knew has soon as Sirs Gwaine and Lancelot heard of this they would be fuming as they were very close to Merlin.

The senior knight knew Gaius or one of the aforementioned knights to sort Merlin out so he decided he would straighten the prince out.

Sir Leon took in a deep breathe preparing himself for the informal berating he was about to give his prince.

The knight raised his hand and knocked hard on the door three times.

"Enter" came the exasperated reply.

Leon pushed the door open to reveal Prince Arthur sitting at his desk eating his dinner.

"What can I do for you Sir Leon" Arthur inquired trying his best at keeping the annoyed edge out of his voice but failing epically causing the senior knight to furrow his brown and narrow his eyes.

Leon was about the same size as the prince with a crown of curly red hair and a thin groomed mustache, and serious blue eyes, he was wearing his standard suit armor as tonight was his night for evening patrols.

Leon huffed a little before speaking

"Permission to speak freely my lord?"

Arthur nodded his assent to continue.

"I was wondering sire why as I was walking by Merlin burst from the room with tears on his face?" Leon asked using a tactic that he used when Arthur was younger to get him to admit his wrong doings.

"His level incompetence seems to have gotten worse since we returned from saving that goddam village of his" the prince seethed to which the elder knight sighed

"You do remember I overheard your shouting match Arthur, while I admit he was a bit clumsier then usual I thought you knew better" Leon admonished the prince with a look of disappointment.

Arthur was about to open his mouth to respond but Leon beat him to it.

"While I would've been irritated too, I would not have been so insensitive to his reasons, you've never had to actually face losing someone you held dear...I amend that statement you lost your mother but you were too young to really have known her, so that doesn't really count."

Leon paused to take a breath before continuing

"Your second statement was far too harsh this William person is obviously very dear to Merlin and your attempt at discount his friend's noble sacrifice just because he had magic though yes it would have corrupted his eventually it hadn't yet and to say what you did was nothing but a rude, insensitive attempt to tarnish Merlin's view of the a person he may have loved like a brother...just to be frank sire I would've hoped you valued Merlin trust higher than that"

with that Leon swept from the room to continue his night long patrol of the castle.

Arthur was left stupefied it had been many a year since Leon had lectured him like he just did and now that he thought about it he had gone way too far to try and turn Merlin against his late friend when he was still grieving for the loss.

He would apologize to Merlin when he saw him in the morning.

Since George had been by earlier he was already in his sleepwear his climbed into his bed and quickly fell asleep.

While the prince of Camelot drifted off to sleep he was completely unaware that three others had witnessed his horrid behavior; far above and to the south of Camelot stood a mighty mountain with peaks so tall they stretched into the clouds.

Atop the mount weaving in out like thread through a loom was city comprised of numerous white marble buildings with stunning colonnades, beautiful terraces and marvelous gardens.

It was Mount Olympus home of the gods.

The three aforementioned beings were standing upon a terrace overlooking Camelot far to the north of it.

The first was a woman with beautiful hazel eyes, red hair that appeared to be made of flame.

Her skin was pale and flawless her dress wrapped around her stunning figure and looked to be fashioned of living fire; she was Hestia; Olympic goddess of the hearth and home.

Beside her stood a young man with brilliant blonde hair that looked to be spun of gold, his eyes were the purest blue.

His skin was pale yet with a perfect tan he wore a Greek tunic; white with gold etchings along the hems and his whole form seem to shimmer with a pleasant light and heat of the sun, he was Apollo god of the sun and music and to his right opposite Hestia was another goddess.

She looked to be a bit older than both Hestia and Apollo but her earth brown eyes held a pleasant amount of energy.

Her hair was as black as a dark cave and she had a breathe taking emerald-green dress that wrapped around her just right leaving shoulder exposed to the air, she was Demeter goddess of the harvest.

The three immortals peered upon Camelot not at all pleased with how the triple-goddess would allow her champion to suffer in such a way.

"It is truly deplorable not only does she will his dearest friend to be taken but she is trying harden his heart" stated Hestia with sad look on her face.

Apollo gazed at his aunt

"To top it off the sorry excuse for a goddess tried to play at prophecy not realizing that mortal lives are not so easily steered" the sun huffed out a superheated breath.

Demeter was also beside herself

"And to think she had the nerve of trying turn Emrys against my darling little Mordred it's enough to make my blood boil" the harvest goddess' eyes flashed dangerously "and did it through that damnable dragon no less!"

The three immortals stood there contemplating for a few minutes before Apollo broke the silence.

"I do not know about you lovely ladies but I have to raise the sun in eight hours so I'll catch up with you tomorrow"

the sun god turned and gave both goddesses a hug before bidding them good night

"'night auntie Hestia, Aunt Demeter" calling out with a backwards wave.

"Good night nephew" the two chimed together.

"I suppose we should retire as well, we'll see if the arrogant prince keeps his vow or not...if he doesn't then we can act"

Demeter nodded agreeing with her sister they both turned and began walking just before Hestia left she spotted Morpheus, the god of dreams and nightmares.

"Morpheus, make sure dear Merlin has pleasant dreams tonight, Zeus knows the poor boy needs it" the goddess of home turned and continued and Morpheus bowed

"Yes Lady Hestia"

[ **That seemed like a good place to stop, so do you think Arthur will keep his vow to apologize or will he face the wrath of Hestia plz leave a review :)] [My come back story hopefully**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Warlock's Flame**

 **[Many thanks to my first two faves of this story so here is your due reward ]**

 **Chapter Two**

The next day, the peaceful resonance of a sunny mourn are disturbed by yet another loud vocalization of the kingdom's beloved prince.

"MERLIN!"

the manservant was over three hours late and Arthur seemed to have forgotten all about his vow the previous night stormed through Gaius' door startling the elderly physician, nearly giving the poor man a heart attack.

Gaius turned to face his prince, Gaius was an elderly man that looked to be in his late fifties or early sixties.

He had semi-long gray hair with bushy eyebrows that could make him appear frightening when angered, he wore midnight blue robes, dark navy pants and tattered brown shoes.

Gaius was the Court Physician, his duty was to treat the sick and wounded.

At this moment he was looking upon his prince with barely contained fury burning behind his aged blue eyes.

"Arthur! How many times have I told you to knock before entering these chambers as my work tends to be naturally sensitive" the aged physician barked fiercely.

Arthur stepped back looking properly ashamed before he remembered why he was here

"I apologize Gaius, I am simply looking for my useless manservant...who I am dangerously close to having publicly flogged" Arthur stated the last part more to himself then to Gaius.

The elderly man's brow furrowed at the young prince's statement.

He had spent half the night trying to comfort the his loveable ward after Arthur's careless words.

"I honestly don't know what you were expecting my lord, after the verbal beating you gave him and horrible words you said to him"

Arthur sighed with a flustered breath

"Well you go up there and tell his laziness to be in my chambers by the time I get back for the court meeting or else he...WILL BE PUBLICLY FLOGGED AND THROWN IN THE DUNGEONS FOR A WEEK!

The prince shouted the last part making sure Merlin heard him regardless if he was asleep or not.

Gaius' expression turned from miffed to full on enraged, he gave his prince his most dangerous glare.

"Haven't you realized my lord that he isn't here?"

Arthur noticed Gaius's change in tone he knew if he didn't placate the man quickly the elderly physician would lecture him until dusk.

"Merlin told me everything you said to him Arthur, I spent most of the night trying to calm him down; so to give the poor boy a break I sent him out to pick some herbs from the greenhouses that I am running low on...as matter of fact he should be returning anytime now"

and as if on cue Merlin himself came through the door a basket full of plants in his hands

"Ah Merlin, I was wondering where you had gotten to" the physician said gently greeting his still emotionally fragile ward.

"Yes, sorry I took so long one of the gardeners moved the wolfs-bane and refuse to tell me they were out of Red Valerian" was the covert warlock's response, his voice hoarse and his eyes were rimmed with red from crying most of the night.

That's when the boy realized the prince's half glare.

"Oh sire, I'm sorry I didn't come wake you but Gaius was in dire need of these herbs as recent outbreak of pneumonia has begun spreading in the lower town" Merlin's voice was small and defeated.

"Yes for once you weren't being lazy" Arthur remarked but he didn't notice his manservant's shoulders droop a little.

Even though the prince was oblivious as usual Gaius saw it, with Merlin in such a vulnerable state one small mistake, one wrong word could create an emotional wound so vast that his poor ward would never recover, since when did destiny involve such pain and loss, despite Merlin's considerable power at the end of the day he was human and everyone has a breaking point and he feared the incorrigible manservant was dancing dangerously close to the edge; too close for the physician's liking.

Arthur was about to speak again when a guard came in and informed the prince that his father had canceled the meeting since he had heard a group of obvious magic users were sighted not far from Camelot's walls.

"Your father's orders are to find them and arrest them if they resist, kill them one-by-one until they do"

Arthur nodded his understanding

"Merlin go saddle-up our horses and don't think Gaius can save you from the rest of your duties, now go _Merlin_."

Merlin handed the basket to his mentor and whisked out the room.

The oblivious prince was about to follow but a hand on his wrist stopped him, he looked to see that it had been Gaius who stopped him.

"Sire...please I implore you...go easy on Merlin today I am afraid if he is subjected to the same treatment as last night...he may not recover this time around."

Arthur gazed at the aged physician

"Come on Gaius, Merlin is just being a girl like usual"

The old man snorted angrily

"It appears that you do not appreciate how hard Merlin works for you! You say he's lazy, when he has to be awake at ungodly hours of the night to finish the mountain of work you pile on him and when he finally does get to sleep he barely gets two hours if that before he has to wake you up just to do it all over again!" Gaius shouted trying to get through to the thick-headed prince.

Arthur sighed frustrated

"I'm sorry Gaius, I do not have time for this now, I must carry out my father's orders"

He turned to the door just as he stepped through Gaius made one last attempt

"If you make this situation worse, Do not come to me for help for I have WARNED you!"

Arthur made backward wave gesture in response.

It didn't take the prince long to reach the stables where he found his horse and his knights steeds, he glanced around and saw his servant leaned against the wooden wall of the stable, his head resting against it mouth open a small bit a soft snore escaping his throat peacefully.

Arthur wanted to yell and sheer frustration couldn't his servant complete the simplest of tasks but then he remembered what Gaius had said that Merlin hadn't gotten to sleep until the wee hours of the morning so he was running on fumes if that but they had a job to do whether the prince wanted to disturb the sleeping boy or not and a part of him was still angry at him for not waking him up so once again Arthur the prat Pendragon did something horrid.

He picked up full water bucket that the stable-hand had filled to water the horses and upturned it all over Merlin, soaking him to the bone instantly.

Merlin snapped awake sputtering and coughing from the sudden attack.

"Oh sorry, you looked a little thirsty so I brought some water but I lost my grip on it" sarcasm leaked from every syllable of Arthur's statement.

Unfortunately for him his knights had witnessed it.

"Arthur! What in the blazes did you do that for?" came the infuriated inquiry of Sir Lancelot.

The prince looked at his knight, Lancelot was about the same height as the prince had tan skin and thick, coarse shoulder length black hair.

He had peaceful brown eyes though at the moment they were filled with rage. He wore silvery plate armor and Camelot-red cloak.

"You couldn't have just shaken him awake you had to completely soak him?"

Arthur shook his head

"He's fine, right Merlin?"

The warlock still looked a bit disoriented but managed to reply his voice quiet, almost inaudible

"Yes sire" forced the prince and knight to lean in to hear him properly.

Sirs Gwaine and Percival arrive on the scene as well.

Gwaine was a tad shorter than most of the other knights, he had semi-long, shoulder length brown and equally brown eyes.

His face had light beard growing in while Percival was large, deep chested man, with short wispy brown hair and pleasant blue eyes that held quiet power in them they were both dressed in similar regalia to Leon, Arthur and Lancelot.

Both notice Merlin standing and realize he was completely soaked through, so much so that water was dripping off his nose and ears.

The prince called their attention before either could say anything.

"I'm fairly certain you all know my father's orders but I wish to amend them, if it is discovered that the magic users are druids we will simply ask them to leave the kingdom's lands, however they are not my father's orders stand" Arthur stated with a tone of absolute authority.

"Sir Leon has already gone on ahead to scout out the area and since this could take a few days Merlin will come with us to make camp set up easier"

the prince thought for a moment to figure out whether he had anything else to add but shook his head

"Let's mount up and head out...except for Merlin, you won't be mounting up; you're going to walk the distance consider it punishment for your incompetence for yesterday and this morning"

Arthur added with a devious smirk.

The manservant's eyes went wide and spoke very audibly for the first time since he left Gaius' chambers

"What? You expect me to walk the same distance that would take three days by horse but six days by foot?" Merlin asked a note of pleading in his voice as he didn't know if he could walk that far and he knew the area well enough to know where they were going had some treacherous areas to cover even for a steed and his pig-headed prince was going to force him to walk all that way.

"Arthur, that's too harsh he cannot be expected to move as fast as a horse; he would die of exhaustion and illness before we got there...especially as thoroughly soaked as he is" came Gwaine's angry response.

"It really isn't all that far Sir Gwaine" Arthur replied with a tone that said I-am-the-prince-I-can-do-what-I-please.

Lancelot raised objection next

"Sire, it'll take a day and a half to reach the river"

the kindhearted knight was interrupted by Merlin

"It's okay Lancelot, I appreciate your help but you know when the prat makes up his mind he won't change it, though I would ask that you don't expect me to keep up with horses...I'll do my best sire but it is quite a trek all by itself"

Merlin ringed out his wet sleeve and took his satchel off of his mare and slung it on his back.

"Let's go" Arthur commanded with a satisfied smirk that Merlin actually did what he was told.

"Alright but if you get tired or your feet start hurting to badly don't hesitate for a second to ask us for help Merlin, you're only human as much as our prince seems to think otherwise"

to all of their surprise it was Percival who said that as he rarely spoke more than a few words.

The normally bubbly manservant nodded quietly which struck the knights as odd, they knew something bad had happened if normally cheeky Merlin was doing this with such weak opposition.

They began their journey Merlin doing pretty well keeping up with the horses but he knew time was of the essence so Arthur and the knights were moving faster than normal.

Merlin's heart had recovered somewhat as they walked but he knew it wouldn't take much put him in such a weak state again so he tried to think joyful thoughts.

When they reached the river it was already midday when they got there they found Sir Leon waiting for them.

"Sir Leon what have you discovered?" the prince asked urgently.

"Well sire, the group are definitely not druids...one they are women, two they were using magic the moment I found them to set up their tents and three they weren't wearing the traditional druidic cloak"

Arthur sighed he'd have to go through with the king's orders then.

"Where are they now Leon?" was the prince's next question as Merlin caught up panting heavily as Arthur and his knights had managed to give him the slip for a few moments.

"Oh Merlin what took you so long, stopped to pick flowers did you?"

that earned him several glares from his knights and one from Merlin himself

"I told you...( _huff-huff_ )...I am not...( _huff-slight choke_ )...as fast as a horse"

the young warlock's knees gave out from the exertion.

Lancelot was by his friend's side in a flash, unscrewed the cap of his water skin and helped Merlin drink.

"Thank you...Lance..."

Merlin fell back on his rear and leaned back for a moment with a hand on his chest to let his heart-rate come back down.

The gentle knight patted Merlin's shoulder and left him to rest in peace for a few minutes.

Leon the pulled Arthur aside

"My lord...did you apologize to Merlin for a few certain statements you made last night?" the senior knight's gaze told him he better not lie.

"N-no not yet, I was angry he was three hours late for waking me up" the prince replied sheepishly "So as punishment I ordered him to walk all...the...way...t-there"

Leon froze when he heard that

"No wonder he was so out of breath, so much so he was nearly choking from the difficulty"

Leon had to stalk away momentarily to gather up his thoughts and cool off before he punched his prince square in the jaw.

"That's so far out of line my lord, he can't be expected to compete with creatures that are bred for speed and travel."

Leon and Arthur glance over at Merlin sitting down on the ground he seemed to have moved further into the shade so the sun wasn't directly on him.

They saw Sir Lancelot walk over and sit down next to the exhausted servant and start talking to him.

"So Merlin? Why so quiet today, because I have never seen you take one of Arthur's unreasonable commands with such a weak objection."

Merlin's eyes clouded with hurt and pain as his drooped a bit at his friends statement

"Yeah...weak, incompetent Merlin...that's me"

Lancelot stared for a minute

"Merls" the mild knight began using the nickname Gwaine came up with for his friend.

"You know you can tell me anything and I won't think any less of you...right?"

They saw Merlin incline his head.

On the other side Merlin was so tired of hiding he figured he could tell Lancelot the truth and wouldn't oust his life-threatening secret.

The young warlock sighed sadly

"Two weeks ago...today exactly...a group brigands attacked my home village of Ealdor in Cenred's kingdom...my mother came to King Uther to plead for help but he denied her aid since it was Cenred's affair not his."

Merlin took a few deep breaths to compose himself and Lancelot waited patiently and was glad Merlin was trusting him to listen, he knew that was all the boy wanted.

"I slipped out of the castle fully intending to go save my home...Arthur discovered me and went with me...covertly...long story short Arthur trained some of the villagers including my best friend William the only person aside from my mom who was nice to me in the whole village. When the bandits attacked again the villagers managed to defend themselves it wasn't enough they had magic on their side so I had to use my powers to save the village and Arthur knew someone used magic...I was about to confess when Will took the blame...and a...s-sword for the prince...William died in my arms...saying he always saw me as the little brother he never had"

Merlin voice cracked with sadness and grief

"If that wasn't bad enough...o-only a week later...my apparent ineptitude had pushed Arthur too far...he...he ( _sobs_ ) said that no man is worth your t-tears especially a-a-a filthy sorcerer"

Merlin then broke down completely.

Lancelot pulled the grieving warlock into embrace and let him cry himself out since he knew this was grief pouring out of his friend and if he didn't let it out it would destroy him from the inside out.

In addition the knight was furious with Arthur how could his prince be so cruel and insensitive.

Little did they know Arthur and Leon had heard everything Arthur charged over to his manservant gripped him by his collar

"So it was YOU who used the magic and what did you do enchant your so called friend to cover for you!" Arthur screamed betrayal in his eyes.

If Arthur expected Merlin to cower he was living in a fantasy for Merlin's eyes turned hard and body language shifted from grief-stricken to furious.

Next thing the prince knew he was soaring through the air and landed hard on the ground ten feet away.

When he looked up he saw Merlin's expression he knew that he had crossed a line, sure he had made Merlin mad before but not legitimately angry and it was truly frightening

"How dare you Arthur Pendragon...how dare you accuse me of enchanting a man I sa BROTHER in every way except blood!

How dare you try to belittle his sacrifice!

If you knew the number of times that I have saved your arrogant arse and Camelot!"

Merlin's cobalt eyes held so much pain and grief but none of that meant anything to him now Merlin had lied to him, he had betrayed Camelot and he had betrayed Arthur.

The prince stood and walked up to Merlin sword drawn prepared to kill the traitor right then and there but the moment he stepped with in arms reach a female voice full of authority sounded

"If you so much as step a millimeter further I shall have you killed where you stand!"

The knights and Merlin peer around and notice that the group is surrounded by about fifteen or sixteen girls of varying ages, some looked about nine or ten others were teenagers one thing the did share was their clothing they were dressed in Greek hunting garb, their tunics were silver and they each had a silver bow and quiver, the bows were currently trained on all but Merlin who recognized them but he wasn't a hundred percent sure.

"Who are you...show yourself!" Sir Leon shouted drawing his sword.

Near the back of the girls approached one that was obviously the leader and if Merlin wasn't sure before he was now for this little girl had such powerful magic even beyond his own level of power.

"You must be the leader of this band of magic users" Arthur stated threateningly

"Be Silent Camelotian PIG!" the new arrival barked ferociously.

"We don't take orders from a magic condoning wench!" the other girls gasped as if no one spoke to their leader that way.

"Who are you anyway!"

To everyone's surprise it was Merlin who answers

"Shut up for once Arthur!" he snarled "unless you want her to kill you"

Arthur glared at his manservant

"You have lost your right to speak traitor!" he accentuated his point by thrusting his sword forward into Merlin stomach.

The warlock was stunned for a moment as he registered the sword in his gut.

His gaze came back up to meet the prince's and what Arthur saw froze his heart.

In Merlin's eyes was disbelief and even more profound betrayal.

"If you had just listened I would have explained...she...is Ar-te-misss..."

the warlock's eyes rollback has he collapsed blood leaking from the wound.

The name was rang through the forest Sir Lancelot was the first to put it together

"You mean...they are...the Hunters of Artemis?!"

[ **Oh Arthur you just made enemies with the wrong woman lol] [read and review plz]**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Warlock's Flame**

 **[** The title's meaning will be known by the end of this chapter]

Warning this chapter will contain two different languages; Spanish and Welsh courtesy of Google Translate

 **I forgot the disclaimer in my rush to write the recent chapters, I do not known PJO/HOO or Merlin they are properties of their respective owners**

 **[For my first review here is the next chapter]**

 **Chapter Three**

The knights and the Hunters stood shocked for a moment before all hell broke loose.

The Hunters leader now known as Artemis barked out commands

"Hunters, relieve the knights of their weapons! Phoebe, Thalia bring Emrys to Courtney she will be able to treat his wounds"

There was chorus of "Yes Lady Artemis"

Artemis then walked up to the now disarmed prince of Camelot and his knights as she did her form shimmered and now she looked to be a little younger than Arthur himself.

Now that they had good look at her; the lady was about an inch shorter than Arthur, her hair was auburn and reached down the middle of her back.

Her build was that of someone who was very familiar with hunting, she wore a silver Greek hunting tunic and a matching pair hunter's pants her boots were emblazoned with a drawn bow which the curves when looked at from the right angle looked like a crescent moon.

The most eerie thing about her was her glowing silver eyes, they reminded them of a full moon.

"To answer your previous question prince-ling I am Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and Moon" the goddess said stunning her captives.

"You're...a...goddess?" the prince stammered incredulously.

"Yes, and you Arthur Pendragon do not know a true friend when he was standing right in front of you!" the lady of the moon seethed glaring at Arthur with burning hatred.

"Now hunters bring these pigs to the camp."

The knights are nudged forward by the hunters and there nasty looking hunting knives.

It took about twenty minutes to reach the camp and when they did the prince and his knights were astounded by what they saw.

There were tents strategically placed throughout.

There was a fire-pit in the center and lead a little ways north of the hearth was the largest tent it was more like a pavilion. They figured it was the leader's tent.

Lancelot was the first to notice a shirtless Merlin lying on a mat with blonde huntress hovering her hands over the stab wound on the warlock's stomach a shimmering golden veil enclosing around the injury.

"You may go over a provide assistance Sir Lancelot" said Artemis gently "I know you are a close friend of his"

Lancelot had heard stories and legends about Artemis and her hunters but he realized now that not all those stories appeared to be true.

"Thank you my lady"

although some the stories weren't true, legends of the goddess' wrath was one thing the knight didn't want to test.

Once the kind knight had left Artemis rounded on Arthur her eerie silver eyes ablaze with fury

"You are the most selfish, arrogant pig of a man I have ever had the misfortune of meeting and that is saying something considering I am related to Aphrodite and Apollo" she snarled fiercely.

Arthur growled in offense

"What of him then!" the prince said gesturing at his unconscious manservant.

"He has lied to me since day one!"

the moon goddess raised an eyebrow

"What would you have him do, you are the son of Uther Pendragon, notorious magic hater and orchestrator of The Great Purge!"

Arthur was shocked as he hadn't thought about that.

"He couldn't be sure how you would've reacted and seeing how you did react you can understand why he hid it"

Artemis gazed a Merlin with an expression one see a lover give her ailing other.

She shook her head and turned back

"Merlin knew what kind of pressure that would bring and did not want to put you in a position in which you would be forced to choose between him and that intolerant piece of filth you call a father"

the young price bristled

"My father did what he had to do, magic killed my mother!"

The goddess scoffed

"No, magic did not kill Ygraine Pendragon; that woman Nimueh did...that wretched daughter of Eris"

All the knights were stunned even more so when Merlin's eyes fluttered open and sat up albeit slowly.

"Thank you Courtney"

the blonde girl smiled and helped him stand up.

"We fixed your shirt too"

Courtney handed Merlin his shirt and he slipped it on and walked over to where Artemis had been lecturing Arthur.

"How do you feel Emrys" inquired the goddess looking at the warlock with concern.

"I am wee bit faint but otherwise I am fine my lady, thanks by the way for helping me"

Merlin gives a short bow in respect, he would've bowed lower but injury on his abdomen still hurt too much.

The warlock looked at his prince still a bit upset with certain comments he made.

"Arthur...how could you think that I of all people would betray Camelot..." he began

"I am not foolish enough to deny that I do have magic but it wasn't my choice, there are two kinds of magic users...those who choose to learn magic are called sorcerers while those like me who are born with the power are called warlocks"

Merlin stopped to allow this new bit of information sink in.

"But then why come to Camelot, the one place that you would be anything but safe!" the prince questioned baffled.

"My mother sent me here to Gaius, hoping he would teach me how to control my magic so I could limit the chances of discovery by accident"

Arthur was stunned Sir Gwaine spoke next

"I always wondered how we managed to get out of nearly impossible situations virtually unscathed and now I know it had been you all those times" the boisterous knight gazed at his magical friend with awe.

"Did anyone aside from your mother and Gaius know?" was Leon's question

"Lancelot found out by accident...remember the griffin incident, I used a spell to empower Lancelot's lance to kill it"

the knights put the rest together themselves Merlin allowed Lancelot to take the credit which resulted in his knighting.

The prince was awestruck, his manservant was a greater man than all of them combined and he never sought recognition or glory he did these things simply because they were the right thing to do.

Merlin was a truly pure soul.

Artemis silently watched the exchange it seemed the prince was not as intolerant as his father, Prince Arthur showed he was capable of learning.

That is what led Artemis to a stunning decision

"I may have been wrong Arthur Pendragon...there may be hope for your kingdom yet"

the lady of the hunt gazed at the fire pit

"Understand, your father has made many transgressions against the gods; many of those children he massacred in The Great Purge that he suspected of magic were not so by their own choice...they were demigods"

Arthur's eyes went as wide a dinner plates

"As in half-divine half-mortal?"

Artemis inclined her head.

"Yes and you made it worse by dishonoring the memory of the one who died in your stead"

Merlin's jaw dropped

"William was a demigod?" he had not know that tidbit of information.

"Wait...he...did tell me once but I didn't believe him"

Artemis gave the warlock a sympathetic smile.

"Yes William's father didn't die at a noble's hand he is a god and Thalia's half-brother."

Merlin caught on he knew that the punkish Lieutenant of Artemis was the legendary Thalia Grace, demigod daughter of Zeus.

"If Thalia was Will's half-sister that would mean Will was a...SON OF ZEUS!"

Arthur and the knights faces drained of color.

"The farm boy who sacrificed himself to save me and keep Merlin's secret was the son of the king of the heavens"

Artemis nodded solemnly.

The prince then remembered what he had said to Merlin the previous night and the guilt almost crushed him.

In a flash Merlin was engulfed in Arthur's arms pulled into a tight embrace.

"I am so sorry Merlin...I was totally insensitive prat...that boy...no man, William was a true friend, your brother as you put it...and what I said...oh gods...what kind of man am I!"

Merlin was stunned but wrapped his arms around Arthur and said

"It's okay Arthur, I forgive you...I won't lie what you said hurt a lot but if you have learned something from this then it was worth it"

Arthur pulled back looking absolutely amazed after all he had done to him, what he said Merlin had forgiven him

"But I wouldn't have blamed you if you hated me"

Merlin gave his characteristic crooked grin

"We are two halves of a whole Arthur, opposite sides of the same coin I cannot hate half of what makes me whole.

"The young manservant was truly remarkable

"Although...if you ever accuse me of enchanting Will again...I will rip your arm off and beat you with it" Merlin added with a smirk.

The knights all laughed, Merlin was back.

Artemis stepped up

"Now that that is out of the way, Merlin I require your aid with a very delicate matter."

They all looked at the goddess

"Come with me"

They followed the godly huntress to a small tent on the edge of the camp.

There situated on the spot was a small tent, with a red tint and flaming hammers were embroidered along the edges.

"Now I have thought of a way for the prince-ling to redeem himself in the eyes of my father, Zeus"

Arthur perked up immediately

"You see I have found a young demigod...however a certain peacock goddess who will remain unnamed is trying hurt this poor boy and I shall not allow it" Artemis spoke urgently.

She then peeked inside the tiny tent Arthur and Merlin followed suit.

There lying atop a red sleeping bag was a little boy staring back at them.

He was a tiny little thing it was hard to tell whether he was two or eight.

He had tan skin similar to Lancelot's tone, slightly pointed elf-like ears and on his head was a mop of unruly jet black hair.

The boy was wearing a brown woolen jacket with a green collared shirt underneath and plain brown trousers that were obvious three sizes too big.

"This is the demigod I mentioned, if I had to guess his parentage; my money is on either Hephaestus, Ares or my shining idiot of a twin, Apollo."

As if on cue the tent is illuminated by a fire-red glow.

Artemis and Merlin recognize it instantly and look to a point just above the boy's head.

There floating and spinning around was the three-dimensional image of a flaming hammer striking an anvil.

The boy looked up and yelped as he thought his hair on fire.

"Lo que pasa es que mi pelo en llamas?" the boy spoke in a language unknown to the knights or Artemis surprisingly.

Merlin smirked he could use this opportunity to get revenge of Arthur for making him walk all the way here, completely drenched.

"Calmate pequeno" Merlin said snickering at the prince dumbfounded expression.

"He speaks Spanish" Merlin informed them.

"A lot of Gaius' books are written in different languages as his eyesight is failing he taught me to read, write and speak them to better assist him."

Gwaine whistled while Lancelot chuckled and shook his head.

"I was unable to learn his name" Artemis said with note of shame in her voice.

"Cual es tu nombre pequeno individuo?" the clever warlock asked speaking Spanish again.

The boy looked up and smiled a truly blinding grin.

"Mi nombre es Leonardo Valdez pero mi mama me llama Leo" he said with literal flames dancing around his head.

Merlin turned to the others

"He said that his name is Leonardo Valdez but we can call him Leo"

Merlin turned back the child now known as Leo Valdez

"Puedes hablar Ingles Leo?"

Leo nodded enthusiastically and took a deep breathe

"My name es Leo Valdez,I am seven years old" he said with a high pitched yet somewhat thick Spanish accent.

Merlin squatted down so that he was on the same level as Leo.

"Come on out here so we can get a good look at you"

Leo nodded and toddled out of the tent.

Once in the light and could be seen fully Merlin melted the little tyke was adorable.

Although he said he was seven, his small size made him look more like he was four.

There was a collective gasp form the Hunters as they noticed the floating red image above Leo's head.

They all bowed and Artemis raised her voice and said in a very authoritative tone

"All hail Leonardo Valdez, The Son of Hephaestus; God of the Forge and Fire"

Merlin picked little Leo up he couldn't resist.

"A son of Hephaestus huh?"

Leo blushed and giggled when the warlock picked him up.

Artemis continued her thought from earlier

"How about to redeem yourself, you help Merlin take care of the son of Hephaestus"

Arthur blanched but then looked over to see Merlin playing with the little demigod.

He was teaching Leo the names of different tools

"This is called a trowel, gardeners use it to dig plants out of the ground and put in to planters like this one"

The prince smiled Merlin looked so peaceful and happy with little Leo sitting next to him playing and learning at the same time"

Arthur didn't need to hesitate in responding

"I don't see why not, Merlin would definitely approve"

Merlin raised his eyes to Arthur's and the prince was even more sure than ever his manservant's eyes were shinning with renewed energy and he didn't want to see it put out.

Merlin knew what Artemis had said to Arthur.

When he turned back to Leo he asked

"Leo, como te gustaria venir a casa con nosotros?" Merlin asked in Spanish hoping the boy would be happy and boy was he ever.

It made Leo so happy his hair literally caught fire.

This shocked them but Leo looked up and patted the flames out

"That happens sometimes" he said blushing.

"Come on then Leo let's introduce to the knights of Camelot"

[ **Wow to take in a hyper active demigod, oh gods Camelot is in for one wild ride and do you understand the title now]**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Warlock's Flame**

 **[Holy Hephaestus! the next chapter already, I am on fire!]**

 **Chapter 4**

Merlin took the jittery son of Hephaestus by the hand guided him over to Arthur and his knights.

"Guys, Leo wanted to meet you"

he gave Leo a small encouraging shove.

The tanned boy blushed and batted his eyes bashfully.

"Leo this is Prince Arthur"

the warlock said pointing toward the blonde royal who waved with bright smile.

"And these are the knights of Camelot; the one on the left with the red hair is Sir Leon, the one next to him with the light beard is Sir Gwaine, the tanned dark haired knight is Sir Lancelot and the big guy over there is Sir Percival...knights this Leo Valdez the demigod son of Hephaestus; god of the forge."

"Hi there Leo" said Gwaine said ruffling the boy's hair.

Leon greeted him with a two fingered salute and Lancelot squatted down and shook his tiny hand.

"Hi...are you really knights?"he asked his boyish voice full of wonder.

The knights nodded

"Wicked! And are those real swords!"

Merlin chuckled walked to stand by Arthur while Leo got to know the knights.

"I had almost forgotten how much energy children have" Merlin said wistfully watching the little fire bug try to pick Sir Gwaine's sword that a hunter had thrown at his feet.

Of course it was a bit too heavy and he dropped it and muttered some curse words in Spanish.

Merlin gasped

"Leo! Language!" as he understood what the child had said

"Sorry Merlin" he said before trying to pick it up again.

"Let me help you my little friend" Arthur said kindly and helped Leo by taking the sword out of it's scabbard as scabbard was far lighter than the blade.

The fire user picked up the scabbard successfully and brought it over to Gwaine

"Here you go amigo"

Gwaine looked up at Merlin for translation

"Amigo means friend"

the knight nodded his thanks

"Thank you my little amigo"

Leo laughed and ran up to Merlin and took his hand

"Ready to go nino" he asked to which the demigod nodded

"Lady Artemis, thank you for your hospitality and patching me up"

Artemis nodded with a smile

"Before your hunters decide to turn us into pincushions"

they all laugh

"Well I hope we run across each other again Emrys although next time I hope it will be under better circumstances."

the moon goddess stated with a very swift wink to which Merlin turned an interesting shade of scarlet.

The knights mounted up when they forgot Merlin's mare was back in Camelot making a certain prince feel like an ass all over again.

"Oh dam how are Merlin and Leo supposed get back without a horse." Leon asked that's when Percival walked up and handed the reigns of his steed to Merlin

"Use mine Merls, you need it more than I do, I can walk."

"Thank you Percival" Merlin said as he clasped his hands under Leo's arms and hoisted him up onto the horse.

"Whoa!" the demigod said a fearful quaver in his voice.

"Easy Leo, is this your first time on a horse?"

the nervous half-blood nodded.

"Don't worry" Merlin stated gently "I'll keep you mounted"

The warlock hoisted himself up on to the horse so that he was situated behind his new young charge.

"Hang on tight to the reins, here we go"

the manservant urged the borrowed steed to move which made the fiery demigod yelp a little and tiny flames danced across his tan arms.

Once they were in motion Leo calmed down and watched as Arthur and his knights joined them.

Sir Percival was not walking as they expected he was riding along with Lancelot.

"Okay Leo, I'm going to urge the horse to go a little bit faster"

the tiny fire user nodded and gripped the reins so tight his knuckles turned white.

He gave the horse the cue to move faster and now they were moving a mild trot.

The sun had begun to set while they were in the Hunter's camp so by the time they had made it half way back to Camelot it was dark.

"Leo are you okay" asked Merlin trying ascertain if his young companion was awake.

He got no reply so Merlin lent forward just enough to see that wee little demigod had fallen asleep, slumped against the horse's warn neck, little snuffle like snores escaping his mouth.

The warlock smiled Leo looked so peaceful.

"Should we stop for the night, I know you have to be exhausted too Merlin" whispered Arthur also noticing the sleeping child.

"We aren't far from Camelot, I think we should keep going we'll be through gates soon" was his soft response.

Arthur nodded his acknowledgment and true to what Merlin said within the hour they had crossed the drawbridge and were riding through the lower town.

As they approached the main square just a head of the castle's main entrance.

Merlin slowed the horse to a stop and carefully slid of the steed while carefully yet skillfully collected the sleeping Leo in his arms.

He held him so that the boy's head was comfortably resting on his shoulder.

"Arthur!" he whispered as the prince slid off his horse.

Arthur looked up in response

"Can you hold him for a few minutes while I bring the horses to their stables and if you can bring him to Gaius' chambers."

The prince looked uncertain he had never held a child before.

"Um...I think so...how do I"

Merlin carefully shifted Leo and handed him to the uneasy prince.

"Place this hand on his back; gently"

the warlock guided Arthur's hands to the proper positions

"And the other should placed right under his bum"

Once Merlin was certain the prince would be alright for a moment

"I'll be right back"

the tired servant led the horses away.

Arthur was a little unsure still but he was getting used to it and thought it actually felt a little comforting to hold the sleeping demigod.

The prince absently brushed the boys hair out of his eyes and realized this was actually pretty nice feeling Leo's warm body against his.

He wondered if this is what it felt like for a father when he held his son.

Now that he was used to it his body was now acting on instinct and the prince felt a little ambitious, he slowly started to walk towards the front stairs.

He didn't realize his knights were watching this

"Did you see Arthur's face when Merlin first handed the boy to him" Gwaine muttered chuckling to earn a punch in the arm from Lancelot.

"I think our prince will make an excellent father one day"

Leon said watching as Arthur carefully carried Leo up the stairs and into the castle.

Arthur moved as swiftly and quietly as he could he didn't wake the little one, he looked so tired, like he hadn't slept well in months.

He finally spotted the stairwell that led to Gaius' chambers he carefully navigated his way up them and now faced a dilemma, how to open the door After pondering it for a few moments Arthur knew kicking the door in like he usually did wasn't going to work so he took a gamble.

He carefully used one hand and quietly pulled the door open and stepped into the room.

Gaius was asleep on his cot.

The blonde prince ascended the stairs into Merlin's room.

He approached the bed and using the same method with the door he pulled back blanket.

Arthur froze for a second time that night how to lay the boy down without waking him up.

Arthur rearranged his hands naturally, his instincts once again taking the lead.

He cradled Leo's head and slowly placed the boy on the bed's soft surface.

"Mmph...Tia Callida" the boy mumbled but he did not wake up which made the prince let out a soft sigh.

Arthur pulled the blanket over Leo's small form and stood back.

He watched the boy's small torso rise and fall in the rhythm of sleep.

Then a thought struck Arthur

"I just...cared for...a child...all on my own"

and for some reason that thought made him extremely proud and didn't understand why.

"And you did marvelously my lord" came the whispered tones of Gaius.

The prince turned to see the aged physician standing in the door way with Merlin by his side, apparently Gaius had feigned sleep.

Merlin motioned them out of the room so the demigod could rest.

Once back down in the main room.

"I can't believe I actually took care of child...I've never felt this kind of pride before"

Merlin and Gaius exchanged pleased looks

"The feeling Arthur, his pride in a job well done" the elder informed "You instinctively understand that a child is delicate and precious thing...you know that that boy, that demigod he and other children of his generation are the future of this kingdom"

Merlin smiled

"I think you will make fine father yourself some day my prince"

The three sat in silence for a few before Gaius speaks again

"Now Arthur, Merlin told me about your encounter with the Lady Artemis and her Hunters...I hope you realize how fortunate you are to have walked out of her camp in one piece" the man begins solemnly

"He also informed me that Leo is now a charge that you both must handle, you must keep in mind that he is a demigod; the son of Hephaestus to exact"

Arthur nodded and realized something quite distressing.

"My father cannot learn he's a demigod, it's too close to magic he'll execute the boy" the prince stated with note of absolute terror his voice.

Merlin then realized that Leo, since he was so young would have little to no control over his fiery powers.

"It will be really hard to hide his identity since he really cannot control his fire powers" Merlin stated remembering the event from earlier when the boy's hair caught fire.

The warlock then gave a big yawn

"I think it's best that we all get to bed, we can think about it the morning when we are all fresh and rested.

Merlin and Arthur nodded in agreement.

"Good night Arthur, Gaius"

Merlin carefully walked up the stairs and through the door.

After quietly closing the door he turned to look at his bed and a tired yet warm smile spread across his face.

Leo was just so damn cute, his snuffling snores sweetly rising from his slightly ajar mouth.

Merlin moved over to the bed and climbed in beside the boy, since the demigod was so small they could both sleep comfortably on his bed as soon as his head hit the pillows Merlin was asleep within seconds.

Arthur made it to his chambers in record time, Arthur had stopped off at the armory to dispose of his armor.

The prince flopped on his bed and like Merlin was out in seconds.

Something peculiar happened as Arthur began to dream, in this dream the prince was standing in what looked like a giant blacksmith's shop.

There were several forges lining the walls with chimneys running up and through the roof.

Fire could be seen spouting out of them like geysers.

Weapon racks festooned across the floor holding numerous bronze, iron and surprisingly golden spears, swords, pikes and armor.

Arthur was astounded whoever owned this shop was a master metal-smith.

The prince began making his way through the glorious workshop until he came up to a large door made of chestnut wood and braced with polished iron bands.

Just as Arthur reached for the door's handle the heat in the room seemed to magnified, he then noticed a large shadow on the floor that wasn't his.

The fair-haired prince wheeled around and what he saw nearly made him wet himself, not that he'd admit it.

Standing there was a large disfigured man, he had face red puffy like he had taken too many mace hits to the face.

The man's eyes where a familiar chocolate-brown.

His he had greyish-white hair and a frazzled beard that sparked with literal fire.

His arms were large and his hands were calloused, he wore a traditional blacksmith's garb.

"Who are you" Arthur asked a tone of distress present in his voice.

The man looked at him considering the quest and his glowing brown eyes were still gave the prince a air of familiarity and then it clicked and Arthur went stark white

"Y-your...Leo's father"

The blacksmith nodded

"Aye lad" he stated his voice deep and raspy like he had a sore throat.

"Lord Hephaestus" Arthur stated breathlessly

"Aye" Hephaestus said his flames sparking to life in his bead only to be aimlessly swatted out.

"Listen and listen to me well Arthur Pendragon" the fiery god began "My little Leo is my first demigod in millennia, Artemis did not give you the full conditions of this redemption."

The prince froze he knew it was too easy.

"Bear in mind that taking care of my little firecracker will mean protecting him from your father...if Uther Pendragon lays even one intolerant hand on Leo...I will find him and I will reduce him to cinders!" Hephaestus growled his eyes flaming

"Now I am not usually violent but Leo is my pride and joy, if he is hurt by your father, you are in the clear but he is not...remember what I say Arthur Pendragon we will meet again in two days time, the day of Leo's eighth anniversary."

The dream dissolved and the prince a woke to the usual

"Rise and Shine!"

 **[A midnight warning from Leo's father. I have an idea for how Uther will discover Leo's identity][What's your opinion on how Uther would respond to demigod!]**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Warlock's Flame**

 **[Warning I have playing with Idea of Uther actually being somewhat human, for we saw minor instances where he is a good father]**

 **Chapter Five:**

"Rise and Shine!" Merlin exclaimed whilst pulling back the curtains.

Arthur blinked away the fuzz out of his sight and when his vision refocused he saw his lanky manservant standing by the window the sunlight making him look momentarily divine.

Then he noticed an odd weight on his legs.

Arthur sat up and was shocked to see a pair big brown eyes looking back at him.

"Buenos Dias Arthur!" Leo called happily with a blindingly cheerful smile.

"Good Morning to you Leo" replied the prince ruffling the boy's hair.

Leo laughed and hopped off the bed to allow Arthur to stand and stretch.

"So what's on the agenda today Merlin?" Arthur asked as he stepped behind the dressing screen.

"Well first you have a court meeting with your father to discuss the visit of King Bayard of Mercia, which if everything goes right you should be done with that by mid-morning the latest"

Merlin paused to take a breath

" Then this afternoon you have training with your knights."

The prince glanced at the warlock with quizzical stare

"Merlin, you never this astute with my schedule."

Merlin blushed

"Well maybe I prefer to lead by example"

Arthur puzzled over this for a few moments and then glanced over at the little demigod that was wandering around the chamber exploring it.

Then it clicked, Merlin was trying to look good in front Leo.

Once Merlin finished helping Arthur dress he turned to his prince with absolute conviction

"Arthur...I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart...for accepting me for who I am...gifts and all" the warlock waited to see what reaction his heartfelt statement would garner from Arthur.

The blonde royal looked at Merlin with fondness in his eyes

"Your very welcome my friend, I realize now that magic is not evil...it is much like a sword; a sword by itself cannot be good or evil; it is the wielder who decides whether to cause great destruction or use it to protect those who cannot protect themselves"

Merlin smiled he couldn't have said it better himself.

"Sire mind watching Leo while I fetch your breakfast"

Leo ran over to Merlin and tugged on the lapel of his jacket to get his attention

"Merlito, I'm hungry too"

Merlin smiled that's when he kicked himself, he had forgotten to give Leo his breakfast.

"Not to worry Leo, you and I can share" Arthur assured the little half-blood.

Leo smiled

"Garcias, Princeito"

Arthur turned to Merlin

"Grass-siass means thank you right?"

the servant nodded.

"Yes he and I will await your return"

The warlock left the room vowing to be back soon.

Now Arthur was alone in his chambers with Leo.

He looked at the young boy who was inspecting the inkwell on the table.

Leo started looking around for paper and found some in the corner of the room by the prince's wardrobe.

The son of Hephaestus walked over took a blank piece of parchment.

He carefully pulled the inkwell from Arthur's desk.

The demigod found a nice spot by a window and plopped himself down.

Arthur walked over with curiosity, wondered what the boy was doing.

Leo pulled out the inkwell stopper and dipped his fingers in the ink and started to draw a picture by the looks of it.

Arthur chuckled and walked over to the water basin by the door and made sure it was full so that the boy could clean his ink filled hands when Merlin returned.

The prince sat himself at his desk and proceeded to watch the fiery demigod draw.

He took a moment to reflect on how natural it felt to have Leo in the room.

Arthur glanced back over to his young charge noticing the look of absolute concentration on his face, his coca-colored eyes not once drifting from the paper.

Arthur then heard the door open he knew it wasn't his manservant since it took a few minutes to get to the kitchens.

It was surprising to see his father, Uther Pendragon walk through the door.

The prince gazed upon his father with recognition.

Uther was a robust, middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties or fifties.

He had cold, critical blue eyes and his head was clad in a fringe of graying hair.

He wore an elegant tunic made with the finest silk, dark maroon in color, a matching pair of pants and sleek black boots that were polished to perfection.

A top Uther's head was a crown made of the finest gold.

"Ah Arthur, I was hoping I'd catch you before the meeting" the king of Camelot stated in a firm, slightly arrogant tone.

"I came find out why none of the magic users I sent you out to capture are not in the dungeons"

Arthur went white while Leo hadn't even noticed someone else in the room, he was too absorbed in his drawing.

"It turned out that weren't just any magic users Father...they were the Hunters of Artemis" Arthur responded truthfully.

Uther blinked a few times before responding

"The Hunters...you actually saw them" the prince nodded "I would have brought them in but I did not wish to bring the wrath of Artemis down upon Camelot"

The king nodded

"Wise decision...and what is _**that?"**_ Uther asked having now noticed Leo's presence.

Arthur bristled a little at his father's tone

"The boy you mean...that is Leo, he's the...cousin of Merlin's late friend William, the farm boy I told you about?"

"You mean that sorcerer who supposedly sacrificed himself to save you" Uther replied gazing at the boy with disgust.

"He deserved what he got, practicing magic...slaughtered like the monster he was"

 _ **BOOM!**_

Thunder sounded overhead.

"Careful of what you say, according to Merlin, William was a son of Zeus"

Uther paled a little, he had heard of demigods but didn't believe in them.

Arthur continued

"Leo was orphaned...so Merlin with his abnormally big heart didn't want to leave him all alone so he brought him here in hopes he will have a chance at life"

Uther inclined his head in understanding

"Where is your manservant then?"

"He asked me to watch the tike while he fetched my breakfast"

Arthur said gazing fondly at the demigod.

"He really is quite a cute boy Father and well-behaved...so long as he is occupied"

They then heard Leo laugh as he stood and turned to face the king and prince.

There was look of pride on the boy's face as he showed them his now complete drawing.

It was a very detailed drawing of the castle with slight changes that the boy seemed to believe necessary.

It was a very good representation considering Leo was only seven.

Both King and prince were astounded by his talent.

That's when Leo noticed the king's presence.

"I'm sorry I didn't noticed you sir...you're Prince Arthur's father aren't you" Leo said smiling brightly, his boyish innocence shining through

"You have the same blue eyes...and if you're his father that means you are the king of this wicked castle"

Arthur took one look at Uther's face and started laughing

"I'm sorry my lord but you're face is priceless...and don't mind him he just likes anything to do with castles and fortresses" Arthur explained after he recovered from his laughing fit.

Uther continued to gaze at the boy's brown eyes and he defrosted slightly, true to what Arthur said the boy wasn't being insolent and now that he saw the picture up close the improvements that Leo had made to the castle were ingenious.

Uther saw improvements such as specialized catapult and ballista platforms placed strategically across the palace's towers.

He also notice new balconies that served as firing platforms for the kingdom's long-bowmen.

The more he looked at it the more astounded he was, this farm boy was prodigy, he had so much talent.

Arthur's idiot manservant made a decent choice to bring him to Camelot, to allow this child a place to grow up for Uther could tell little Leo would be a great architect and engineer someday.

"It's alright young one...Leo was it...what is your full name?" The king inquired.

"Leonardo Valdez my king but everyone calls me Leo for short" the demigod answered with a tone respect and mirth in his voice.

"Welcome to Camelot Leo Valdez, I hope the manservant treats you well"

Arthur had to do a double-take his father was never that inviting to commoners.

"You have no need to worry about my lord" came the deep tones of Merlin walking through the door with a tray of food.

He set food down on Arthur's table

"There you are sire, they were out of peaches so I got you apples instead I hope that's all right?"

Arthur for once decided to give Merlin a break

"That's fine Merlin, Leo come here since you didn't eat breakfast"

The undercover warlock noticed the picture in Leo's hand as he bounded up to the prince's table and sat in the vacant chair across from Arthur.

"Leo did you draw this...it's very good...you are incredibly talented" and then he notice the demigod's ink-filled hands.

He brought the water basin over

"Leo, clean your hands first" The boy shoved his hands into the water, washing the ink off his hands.

Leo then took an apple slice that the prince offered to him and began munching on it happily.

Uther watched as his son and the boy enjoyed the breakfast, Merlin had begun cleaning the room, he was currently by the window; gathering the dirty clothes that his son had some how festooned everywhere.

When Merlin stood up he spotted something out of the corner of his eye, there was something big was bolting towards them.

Merlin just had enough time to dive out of the way before the beast came bursting through the window taking a good chunk of the wall with it.

A cloud of dust and debris filled the chamber.

"Arthur, Leo, my king are you all okay!" Merlin called out coughing as the dust tried to clog his lungs.

"Yes" came Uther's voice.

"Well I'm alive" came Arthur's response.

"Leo is fine as well" Uther coughed

"What the hell was that?"

The dust finally settled and now all four could see the assailant.

It was the most grotesque thing ever witnessed.

It was a humanoid creature, it was at least seven feet tall had copper colored skin.

Its face was scrunched like it had run headlong into a brick wall several times.

It's arms were as wide as Arthur.

It's head was shaped a bit like an egg, the most terrifying thing about the creature was that located in the middle of it's face was a large, singular orange eye.

It wore slate-gray iron armor and wielded a large brutal looking double sided battleaxe.

Merlin's eyes went wide as all color drained from his face, if he pale before, he looked damn ghostly now.

"A cyclops...why is a cyclops here" the warlock asked himself but he knew the answer it was here for Leo, demigods always had monsters after them.

Merlin got to his feet and glanced around he saw Arthur on his feet, picking mortar and other debris out of his hair; while Uther had shielded Leo with his body but didn't seem hurt.

Leo was shaking with absolute fear.

"What is that Merlito" came the boy's frightened voice.

"It's a cyclops...they normally work for Poseidon but every now and then one or two go rogue"

Uther and Arthur look at Merlin like he just signed their death warrants.

Arthur drew his sword from it's place by the fireplace.

The cyclops laughed

"No one else has to die prince-ling I only want the demigod...although your little sword can hurt me." the monster rumbled with a boasting tone.

"Like I would let you harm him" The prince snarled defiantly.

"No Arthur, mortal weapons can't harm a cyclops only weapons made of celestial bronze, stygian-iron and imperial gold can harm creatures like him" the warlock informed gesturing toward the big one-eyed menace.

"Then what do we do?!" asked Arthur not know what else to do.

"I wish I had my spear...it's made of celestial bronze...wait a minute!"

Merlin shoved his hand into his pocket and extracted what looked like a coin.

He looked at it a minute before flipping it.

"Merlin this isn't a time for tricks!"

Merlin gave him a glare as he caught the coin but when it landed it was not a coin but a long spear.

It was glorious weapon similar to the ones Arthur had seen in his dream meeting with Hephaestus.

The shaft was brilliant, shimmering with orange-gold glow of the bronze it was decorated elaborate lighting bolt etchings that seemed to glow like the real thing.

The spearhead was fastened to the shaft with a ring of pure gold.

The warlock strode forward

"Stay behind me, Arthur, Leo, King Uther only I can kill this thing"

Arthur was amazed and it didn't escape him that sparks of lightning were arcing across his skin and hair.

"Merlin you're brave and all but how can you kill that" surprisingly it was Uther who said that.

The manservant turned to look at them when the room is illuminated by an electric-blue light.

The king, prince and demigod's vision were drawn to the point above Merlin's head and there sat a rotating, three-dimensional image of a lightning bolt.

It took him a minute but Arthur realized what it meant.

"Remember when I said William was my brother...I wasn't kidding; I too am a son of Zeus."

[ **Wow not just one demigod but two][Tell me how I did if you notice any grammar mistakes let me know so I can fix it anyway plz read and review]**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Warlock's Flame**

 **Chapter Six**

Merlin smirked at the prince before charging forward lighting coursing across the spear, just before he reached attack distance the young warlock planted the butt of the spear on the ground and pole-vaulted himself into a very debilitating kick; knocking the cyclops back toward the window he had come through.

Arthur and his father were stunned, this was the same goofy manservant who couldn't walk five paces without tripping over himself.

Merlin landed and swatted the cyclops in the stomach and proceeded to go into a dizzying series of spiraling staff-style attacks ending with another kick, this one enhanced with lightning.

The kick struck with such force it sent the monster flying out of the window and landing on the ground below with an almighty crash.

"Merlito is so strong" Leo said in a voice of whimsical admiration.

"Yes he is fire-cracker" Arthur responded with a smirk now that the initial shock had warn off.

Leo then thought of something, he now knew that his precious Merlito was a demigod just like he was, did that mean he could become a mighty hero too?

"Prince-ito...do you think I could be that strong some day?"

The son of Hephaestus gave Arthur an almost pleading look.

"Some day, yes but for now we must let Merlin deal with this...he is the only one who can." the prince replied patting the boy's shoulder.

The next moment a large rock hits exactly where Merlin was standing but the warlock apparently moved faster than they could register since he had jumped back from the spot and was now standing only a few steps away.

"Merlito are you okay" Leo asked worriedly taking step forward despite the king and prince trying to keep him from getting in the way.

The spirited warlock looked back at the younger demigod

"Yes Leo, I am fine...I was hoping that fall was enough to kill it but apparently not" was Merlin's response.

He then sprinted to the rock and with another almighty kick sent out of the window and sailing over the horizon.

"Time to send this cyclops back to Tartarus where it came from."

The clever warlock then leaped out of the window, focusing as much lightning into the spear head as possible before bringing his spear down hard on the monster's head, smashing it into the ground where it exploded into a cloud of golden dust and making an impressive impact on the city street.

Merlin glanced up and now realized that the cyclops wasn't alone, there were two other cyclopes flanking two human-like creatures.

Before he could register who they were the manservant heard the scraping of metal boots and saw Arthur skid to a stop beside him.

"Don't say a word Merlin, you no longer have to fight alone" the gold-hearted prince stated with confidence and that's when he noticed the knights had joined him as well.

Sirs Lancelot, Leon, Gwaine and Percival lined up so they all were standing shoulder-to-shoulder.

Merlin smiled

"Well then if that is the case you'll need better swords"

he then reached into his pocket and extracted more gold coins and tossed them high in the air

"Catch!"

Each knight caught a magnificent celestial bronze sword, Merlin had called on his magic to make sure they landed on heads.

The blade was glistening with semi-divine power.

"Alright let's give them HELL!" shouted Gwaine fiercely

"For the love of Camelot!" cried Arthur and they all charged

"Okay the knights need to handle to the cyclopes while Arthur and I deal with the two in the middle."

The knights nodded Leon and Percival took the cyclops on the right, while Gwaine and Lancelot took the one of the left.

As the warlock and prince closed in on the two humanoid beings Merlin realized who they are

"Okay Arthur we'll need to watch each others backs...the two ahead of us are the twin gods of fear, Phobos and Deimos"

Arthur paled

"They're gods!" the warlock nodded grimly

"Phobos is the god of fear, his power works best on an individual while his brother Deimos is the god of terror, his power is used best on a large group. "

"Don't worry my prince, I'm on your side!" Merlin stated with so much confidence that Arthur couldn't help but be inspired.

Merlin then charged Deimos with his shimmering spear and proceeded to prove he was more skilled in combat the he let on.

Phobos and Deimos were the twin sons of Ares and Aphrodite.

They both had tall, muscular builds, ebony black hair and blood-red eyes.

They wore traditional Greek battle armor and both had swords and shields made of celestial bronze.

Arthur attacked Phobos proving his tenor as the best swordsman in Camelot.

He attacked the god with a series of skillful attacks, the gleaming sword leaving graceful orange-gold arcs as the blade sliced through the air.

The fair prince and his loyal manservant were battling well against two immortals but the two fear gods were parrying all their strikes.

"You think a mere demigod and mortal master can defeat us!" Phobos cried out hysterically as he and Arthur's swords collided.

"I will enjoy tearing your flesh from you bones son of Zeus!" Deimos boomed viciously while delivering a brutal attack with his sword that sent Merlin sliding back until there was ten feet gap between them.

The intelligent warlock knew that he and Arthur wouldn't hold out for long against Phobos and Deimos since they were gods it was only a matter of time before they eventually gained the upper hand.

Merlin was contemplating how to get them out of this mess before the two immortals killed them.

His train thought was disrupted when two earth-shaking thuds were heard and felt.

It appeared that the knights had fell their enemies.

The cyclopes dissipated into golden dust.

The knights all turned their attention to Deimos who was now advancing on Merlin's position.

"Careful! He's the god of terror!" Merlin warned but it was too late Deimos used his power as lord of terror to turn the men from brave knights to cowering children.

The god roared with laughter

"Is this the best this kingdom has, son of Zeus?"

Merlin then saw Arthur cowering on his knees too, Phobos must have used his god of fear powers on Arthur to make him experience his worst fears.

So now both the gods were moving towards the warlock with menacing expressions on his face.

It looked like the end to all of the onlookers but Merlin was not licked yet.

He then remembered something his father, Zeus had given him to use in times of great peril and if this wasn't great peril, he didn't know what was.

Merlin opened up the left side of his jacket and there strapped to inside was a small horn.

It was simple and elegant, made of Ivory and white birch-wood.

The large end was carved into the shape of an eagle.

He quickly took up his horn and put it to his lips, Merlin then blew with all he was worth.

The horn sounded immediately, its blaring resonance could be heard across the city and probably the neighboring forests.

At first Merlin didn't think had worked and the fear twins had stopped to laugh at the semi-divine warlock's seemingly pathetic last attempt.

Then a colossal clap of thunder boomed across the heavens, next a lightning bolt surged down to the ground with a deafening bang and a blinding flash of light.

It was so intense that it temporarily blinded Merlin but his vision quickly clear due to his natural immunity to lightning.

When his sight fully cleared the warlock was met with image of a tall bearded man with jet-black hair and startling blue eyes that were identical to Merlin's.

He wore a cloud-white Greek tunic with matching white pants and sleek black boots emblazoned with an electric-blue lightning bolt.

Merlin recognized the man almost at once it was his dad, the god of the sky himself

"F-father!" the youth cried overjoyed as he flung himself into his father's arms.

"I am sorry that I forced you to endure all this, it seems that the triple-goddess has enlisted the help of the fear twins." said Zeus apologetically as he hugged his son.

The warlock shook his head

"You do not need the apologize Father, I am willing to protect the innocents of this kingdom with my dying breath" the sky god's eyes softened his son was truly more noble and pure then all of Olympus combined.

"The council could learn a thing or two from you, now listen Emrys, go see to your friends my power should have been enough to dislodge Phobos and Deimos' illusions."

with that Zeus stood and rounded on the previously mentioned god-lings.

"Now for you!" he thundered summoning his master bolt.

Deimos and Phobos tried to look nonchalant but they were now face the king of the gods.

"We're not afraid of you, the triple-goddess will make us major gods if we kill him!" Phobos sounded more confident then he probably felt.

Merlin covertly slipped around and managed to make it to Arthur.

He taps the blonde prince on the shoulder

"Arthur are you okay"

Arthur glanced at Merlin

"What happened?"he asked sounding disoriented

"You were caught in one of Phobos' illusion."

Arthur looked at Merlin with shame in his eyes

"I fell for an illusion?"

the warlock squeezed the prince's shoulder

"Don't beat yourself up Arthur, remember Phobos is a god...a mortal has really no chance of resisting a god's power"

Arthur nodded "

You did very well all things considered" Merlin stated to which the prince smiled at his friend.

"So who is that man, I can feel his presence even from here"

the warlock's eyes moisten with tears of joy

"That is my father, he came to our aid"

The prince's eyes were as wide as shields

"He is Zeus?"

Merlin nodded as Zeus directed another bolt down from the heavens and struck the two fear gods on the chin.

Apparently Phobos and Deimos forgot just how powerful Zeus was because the bolt sent them screaming across the horizon and landing with an almighty crash.

Merlin felt the fear brothers' presence vanish, which meant they must have teleported

"No need to worry anymore stalwart prince and knights" the sky lord stated "They have fled for now"

Just as all the knights are released from Deimos' spell a voice boomed full cold hatred

"SEIZE THEM!" roared to cruel voice of Uther Pendragon.

Before Merlin knew what was happening he was being manhandled by a platoon of soldiers, forcing his arms behind his back.

"Father! Have you lost your mind! Are you trying to have Camelot reduced to cinders!" Arthur raged at his father, how could he do this to Merlin when he protected them all.

"He has been using magic while he was fighting...he must have summoned the creatures...to make himself look like a hero."

While Uther was on his tirade no one seemed to notice the clatter of a pair of tiny feet.

"LEAVE MERLITO ALONE!" roared the angry but squeaky voice of Leo Valdez as he barreled into the guard that had hold of Merlin's arms, the little demigod was entirely engulfed in fire.

"So he's a sorcerer too, I knew his talent was unnatural" Uther said with disgust.

"Father if you don't stop this you will bring more strife upon Camelot than you can imagine." The prince shouted, pleading for the king to listen.

Leo has started shoulder checking the guards one by one until one guard brought the pommel of his sword on the boy's head knocking him out instantly.

Time seemed to slow down for Merlin and Arthur as the boy hit the ground and ceased moving.

Thunder suddenly boomed overhead, all present company looked up to see large, ominously dark thunderclouds; lightning flashed and darted across the darkened skies.

Their eye are immediately drawn to the intimidating image of the warlock's godly father.

The rage was pouring off of Zeus in waves.

"UTHER PENDRAGON!" Zeus bellowed furiously "YOU HAVE JUST MADE THE WORST DECISION OF YOUR LIFE!"

 **[Uh-oh how will Uther react when he learns that he just made enemies with Zeus, not to mention Hephaestus, r &r plz]**


End file.
